'UK wants to see if we are tempted to take arms,' Puricelli

Defence Minister Alberto Puricelli--

Defence Minister Alberto Puricelli

Defence Ministry Alberto Puricelli assured today that the Government’s strategy regarding the Malvinas islands "will always be to go through diplomatic channels," although he warned that “the UK is hoping Argentina will fall in the temptation of taking arms."

Even though he assured that President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s administration has no intention of replying to the UK’s provocation, Puricelli stated that the Government will not tolerate the presence of British Armed Forces on Argentine continental territory.

“If the British armed forces lands in our territory we will exercise our legitimate right to defend ourselves,” he warned.

Puricelli assured that the British strategy regarding Malvinas consists of provoking Argentina into turning the diplomatic conflict into an armed conflict.

Following President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner’s announcement that she will denounce the UK before the UN for the militarization of the Malvinas islands, Puricelli stressed the fact that Argentina will not get carried away by any provocation.

“We will not give in to any provocation like the one the English are expecting, because we believe in conflict resolution through diplomatic channels, which has caught them off guard,” he said.

“They want to destabilize us and see if we fall into the temptation of taking this conflict to an armed territory. Rest assured that we will not do that,” he told reporters.

With the 30th anniversary of the conflict approaching, and amidst the mounting tension between both countries, the Defence Minister assured that Argentina will not tolerate the presence of British armed forces in national territory.

“We put up with that in Malvinas. But if they reach our continental territory we will exercise our exercise our legitimate right of defence and we have resources and skills to do so,” he warned.

Meanwhile, Puricelli also ratified the Head of State’s decision of denouncing England before the UN’s Security Council and said Fernández de Kirchner ordered his ministry and the armed forces to control Argentine territory.

“We do not have a pro-military stance nor are we preparing any kind of armed forces to claim our sovereignty over the Malvinas, because the President’s order of solving the dispute throughout diplomatic channels is very clear to us,” he concluded.